Dozens of young American heiresses married into the British peerage, bringing with them all the fabulous wealth, glamour and sophistication of the Gilded Age. Anne de Courcy sets the stories of these young women and their families in the context of their times. Based on extensive firsthand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs and letters, this richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England - and what England thought of them.

5 out of 5 stars

Husband Hunters

By
Amazon Customer
on
27-11-17

Queen Bees

Six Brilliant and Extraordinary Society Hostesses Between the Wars - A Spectacle of Celebrity, Talent, and Burning Ambition

By:
Siân Evans

Narrated by:
Carole Boyd

Length: 12 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Queen Bees looks at the lives of six remarkable women who made careers out of being society hostesses, including Lady Astor, who went on to become the first female MP, and Mrs Greville, who cultivated relationships with Edward VII, as well as Lady Londonderry, Lady Cunard, Laura Corrigan and Lady Colefax. Told with wit, verve and heart, Queen Bees is the story of a form of societal revolution and the extraordinary women who helped it happen.

5 out of 5 stars

Educational and Informative!

By
Fiona
on
06-12-16

The Mistresses of Cliveden

By:
Natalie Livingstone

Narrated by:
Carole Boyd

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
44

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
40

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
39

From its dawn in the 1660s to its twilight in the 1960s, Cliveden was an emblem of elite misbehaviour and intrigue. Conceived by the Duke of Buckingham as a retreat for his scandalous affair with Anna-Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury, the house later served as the backdrop for the Profumo affair. In the 300 years between, the house was occupied by a dynasty of remarkable women each of whom left their mark on this great house.

5 out of 5 stars

Much More Than A Book About A House

By
Alison
on
28-02-17

Jackie, Janet & Lee

The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill

By:
J. Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by:
Ann Marie Lee

Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
14

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
12

If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style, and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.

4 out of 5 stars

Glad I bought it

By
Anonymous User
on
25-03-18

The Housekeeper's Tale

The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House

By:
Tessa Boase

Narrated by:
Tessa Boase

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
59

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
51

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
51

The Housekeeper's Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving ambition that shaped these women's careers. Using secret diaries, unpublished letters, and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of five working women who ran some of Britain's most prominent households.

5 out of 5 stars

Too many stars? Not really.

By
K. G. Harmon
on
15-11-16

That Woman

By:
Anne Sebba

Narrated by:
Samantha Bond

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
91

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
68

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
70

One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified woman of the last century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, by a woman which attempts to understand this fascinating and enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of England. 'That woman', as she was referred to by the Queen Mother, became a hate figure for allegedly ensnaring a British king.

5 out of 5 stars

Compelling

By
Alison
on
23-02-12

The Husband Hunters

Social Climbing in London and New York

By:
Anne de Courcy

Narrated by:
Clare Corbett

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
41

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Dozens of young American heiresses married into the British peerage, bringing with them all the fabulous wealth, glamour and sophistication of the Gilded Age. Anne de Courcy sets the stories of these young women and their families in the context of their times. Based on extensive firsthand research, drawing on diaries, memoirs and letters, this richly entertaining group biography reveals what they thought of their new lives in England - and what England thought of them.

5 out of 5 stars

Husband Hunters

By
Amazon Customer
on
27-11-17

Queen Bees

Six Brilliant and Extraordinary Society Hostesses Between the Wars - A Spectacle of Celebrity, Talent, and Burning Ambition

By:
Siân Evans

Narrated by:
Carole Boyd

Length: 12 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Queen Bees looks at the lives of six remarkable women who made careers out of being society hostesses, including Lady Astor, who went on to become the first female MP, and Mrs Greville, who cultivated relationships with Edward VII, as well as Lady Londonderry, Lady Cunard, Laura Corrigan and Lady Colefax. Told with wit, verve and heart, Queen Bees is the story of a form of societal revolution and the extraordinary women who helped it happen.

5 out of 5 stars

Educational and Informative!

By
Fiona
on
06-12-16

The Mistresses of Cliveden

By:
Natalie Livingstone

Narrated by:
Carole Boyd

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
44

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
40

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
39

From its dawn in the 1660s to its twilight in the 1960s, Cliveden was an emblem of elite misbehaviour and intrigue. Conceived by the Duke of Buckingham as a retreat for his scandalous affair with Anna-Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury, the house later served as the backdrop for the Profumo affair. In the 300 years between, the house was occupied by a dynasty of remarkable women each of whom left their mark on this great house.

5 out of 5 stars

Much More Than A Book About A House

By
Alison
on
28-02-17

Jackie, Janet & Lee

The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill

By:
J. Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by:
Ann Marie Lee

Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
14

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
12

If the Bouvier women personified beauty, style, and fashion, it was their lust for money and status that drove them to seek out powerful men, no matter what the cost to themselves or to those they stepped on in their ruthless climb to the top. Based on hundreds of new interviews with friends and family of the Bouviers, among them their own half brother, as well as letters and journals, J. Randy Taraborrelli paints an extraordinary psychological portrait of two famous sisters and their ferociously ambitious mother.

4 out of 5 stars

Glad I bought it

By
Anonymous User
on
25-03-18

The Housekeeper's Tale

The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House

By:
Tessa Boase

Narrated by:
Tessa Boase

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
59

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
51

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
51

The Housekeeper's Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving ambition that shaped these women's careers. Using secret diaries, unpublished letters, and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of five working women who ran some of Britain's most prominent households.

5 out of 5 stars

Too many stars? Not really.

By
K. G. Harmon
on
15-11-16

That Woman

By:
Anne Sebba

Narrated by:
Samantha Bond

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
91

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
68

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
70

One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified woman of the last century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, by a woman which attempts to understand this fascinating and enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of England. 'That woman', as she was referred to by the Queen Mother, became a hate figure for allegedly ensnaring a British king.

5 out of 5 stars

Compelling

By
Alison
on
23-02-12

Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

By:
Jane Ridley

Narrated by:
Carole Boyd

Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
95

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
79

Entertaining and different, this is an enjoyable study of a flawed yet characterful Prince of Wales seen through the eyes of the women in his life. Edward Vll, who gave his name to the Edwardian Age and died in 1911, was King of England for the final 10 years of his life. He was 59 when at last he came to the throne. Known as Bertie, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was bullied by both his parents.

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration

By
Knucklebones
on
17-02-13

First Lady

The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill

By:
Sonia Purnell

Narrated by:
Charlotte Strevens

Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
41

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
37

Story

5 out of 5 stars
38

Without Churchill's inspiring leadership, Britain could not have survived its darkest hour and repelled the Nazi menace. Without his wife, Clementine, however, he might never have become Prime Minister. By his own admission, the Second World War would have been 'impossible without her'. Clementine was Winston's emotional rock and his most trusted confidante. Yet her ability to charm Britain's allies and her humanitarian efforts on the home front earned her deep respect.

5 out of 5 stars

A good read (listen)

By
Edward
on
11-09-16

The Fishing Fleet

Husband-Hunting in the Raj

By:
Anne de Courcy

Narrated by:
Greta Scacchi

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
69

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
55

Story

4 out of 5 stars
55

From the late 19th century, when the Raj was at its height, many of Britain's best and brightest young men went out to India to work as administrators, soldiers, and businessmen. With the advent of steam travel and the opening of the Suez Canal, countless young women, suffering at the lack of eligible men in Britain, followed in their wake. This amorphous band was composed of daughters returning after their English education, girls invited to stay with married sisters or friends, and yet others whose declared or undeclared goal was simply to find a husband.

4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Glimpse of an Unknown World

By
Alison
on
31-07-14

Daughter of Empire

My Life as a Mountbatten

By:
Pamela Hicks

Narrated by:
Corrie James

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
15

Story

4 out of 5 stars
15

Few families can boast of not one but two saints among their ancestors, a great-aunt who was the last tsarina of Russia, a father who was Grace Kelly's pinup, and a grandmother who was not only a princess but could also argue the finer points of naval law. Pamela Mountbatten entered a remarkable family when she was born at the very end of the Roaring Twenties.

5 out of 5 stars

BRILLIANT!!!

By
francesca
on
09-01-18

Ma'am Darling

99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret

By:
Craig Brown

Narrated by:
Eleanor Bron

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
122

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
108

Story

4 out of 5 stars
108

From our funniest writer, a portrait of our most talked-about royal. She made John Lennon blush and Marlon Brando clam up. She cold-shouldered Princess Diana and humiliated Elizabeth Taylor. Andy Warhol photographed her. Jack Nicholson offered her cocaine. Gore Vidal revered her. John Fowles hoped to keep her as his sex slave. Dudley Moore propositioned her. Francis Bacon heckled her. Peter Sellers was in love with her. For Pablo Picasso, she was the object of sexual fantasy.

4 out of 5 stars

La-di-da

By
Pamela
on
06-11-17

Wallis in Love

By:
Andrew Morton

Narrated by:
Cameron Stewart

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
16

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
15

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
15

Wallis in Love brings a fascinating new perspective on the 20th century's most controversial royal scandal. Andrew Morton's impeccable research and unerring skill for riveting storytelling combine to present a strong case for a new and startling reveal: that the woman who rocked the world with her uncompromising passion for the Prince of Wales may have fooled everyone by keeping the object of her true passion hidden away....

3 out of 5 stars

NOTHING NEW

By
Maureen
on
23-03-18

Margot at War

Love and Betrayal in Downing Street, 1912-1916

By:
Anne de Courcy

Narrated by:
Patricia Gallimore

Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
31

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
29

Story

4 out of 5 stars
29

Margot Asquith was perhaps the most daring and unconventional Prime Minister's wife in British history. Known for her wit, style and habit of speaking her mind, she transformed 10 Downing Street into a glittering social and intellectual salon. Yet her last five years at Number 10 were a period of intense emotional and political turmoil in her private and public life.

5 out of 5 stars

Splendid and compelling.

By
iris
on
28-03-15

Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters

By:
Laura Thompson

Narrated by:
Maggie Mash

Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
175

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
155

Story

4 out of 5 stars
155

They were known as the Mitford sisters: Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah. Born into country-house privilege in the early years of the 20th century, they became prominent as 'bright young things' in the high society of interwar London. Then, as the shadows crept over 1930s Europe, the stark - and very public - differences in their outlooks came to symbolize the political polarities of a dangerous decade.

4 out of 5 stars

Good, but a little confusing

By
Mimi Munch-Jensen
on
17-05-17

Black Diamonds

The Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty

By:
Catherine Bailey

Narrated by:
Gareth Armstrong

Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
619

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
422

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
421

Wentworth is today a crumbling and forgotten palace in Yorkshire. Yet just 100 years ago it was the ancestral pile of the Fitzwilliams' - an aristocratic clan whose home and life were fuelled by coal mining. This is the story of their spectacular decline: of inheritance fights; rumours of a changeling and of lunacy; philandering earls; illicit love; war heroism: a tragic connection to the Kennedys'; violent deaths: mining poverty and squalor; and a class war that literally ripped apart the local landscape.

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

By
Colin
on
19-02-09

Queen Victoria's Granddaughters: 1860-1918

By:
Christina Croft

Narrated by:
Fleur Edwards

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
17

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
16

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

On 6 July 1868, when told of the birth of her seventh granddaughter, Queen Victoria remarked that the news was "a very uninteresting thing for it seems to me to go on like the rabbits in Windsor Park". Her apathy was understandable - this was her 14th grandchild, and, though she had given birth to nine children, she had never been fond of babies, viewing them as "frog-like and rather disgusting...particularly when undressed".

5 out of 5 stars

Really intriguing

By
EM
on
19-07-17

Princes at War

The British Royal Family's Private Battle in the Second World War

By:
Deborah Cadbury

Narrated by:
Cameron Stewart

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
89

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
79

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

King George V predicted that his son, Edward VIII, would destroy himself within a year of succeeding to the throne. In December 1936 he was proved right, and the world’s press revealed the king was abandoning his throne to marry Wallis Simpson. A life spent in the shadow of his charismatic elder brother left the new king, George VI, magnificently unprepared for the demands of ruling the kingdom and empire. Drawing on personal accounts from the royal archives, Deborah Cadbury uncovers the very private conflict.

5 out of 5 stars

Real people with public lives

By
Kl Love
on
12-01-16

Jennie Churchill

Winston's American Mother

By:
Anne Sebba

Narrated by:
Joanna David

Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
24

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

5 out of 5 stars
14

After a three-day romance, Brooklyn-born Jennie Jerome married into the British aristocracy to become Lady Randolph Churchill. At a time when women had few freedoms, she was a cornerstone of high society and behind-the-scenes political dynamo. However it was Jennie's love life that marked her out, causing scandal and earning her the epithet 'more panther than woman'.

Summary

The three Curzon sisters - Irene, Cynthia (Cimmie) who married Sir Oswald Mosley, and Alexandra (Baba) - were at the heart of the fast and glittering world of the '20's and '30's.

The sisters saw British fascism from behind the scenes and had an equally intimate view of the arrival of Wallis Simpson and the marriage and life of the Windsors. Based on unpublished letters and diaries, this is a wonderfully revealing portrait of British upper-class life during the first half of the 20th century.

Part of the British Aristocracy Network

The three women who are the subjects of this book all played roles in the social and political history of their era. For example, Cynthia Mosley was married to Oswald (Tom) Mosley before her death after which he married Dianna Guinness (nee Mitford). All three women formed part of the closely interlinked and fairly small network of upper class society which shaped so much British social and political history, especially between the wars.

The aspect I enjoyed most was the uncovering of these fascinating links. I have read a lot about the Mitfords for example and in turn Mosley, but this book illuminates Cynthia's 'side' of the rather sordid story of her life with Mosley. Other insights include the Prince of Wales and his affair with Mrs Simpson; and the turbulent political scene in the UK in those years.

I think the book is very well written and appears to be a product of painstaking research. At times, it was a bit dull but this was largely when we were dealing with the childhood years. Sometimes, it felt as if lists were being read aloud as we hear the list of names attending such-and-such party. But overall, it gives a vivid impression of this era, for this class of person - and much of it is astonishingly immoral, louche and decadent. All three women at one time or another slept with Mosley, for example, albeit that Cynthia did so as his wife. The other sisters, especially Baba are at times just unbelievable.

There's a lot of self-pity from the women who never seemed especially happy despite their wealth and privilege. Not surprising perhaps given their bizarre and emotionally cruel father and the choices they all made regarding marriage. But I did want to them to stop whining sometimes. It goes to show, too, that no matter the wealth and position some people inherit, they are still often miserable!

The narrator is good. Sara Coward also plays Caroline in The Archers and I like her voice which seems to soften as you get to volume 2 - maybe she had a cold in the first volume. She can't do an Irish accent for toffee and there is a fair bit of this but it didn't really matter.

TheNarration

The narration of this audiobook may sound; at first, quite good, however it doesn't sound right when the narrator uses the letter 'f' instead of 'th' e.g.. HH Askwith is read as 'Askwif' and 'Mary's death...' as 'Mary's def'.... I think it is awful, also 'Weather...' is recorded as 'Wefer'.. Please listen intently, this is not a criticism of the Narrator, but the audio production - very poor.

A fascinating vantage point

The lives of Curzon's daughters, examined not only through events but through diaries, letters and other personal exchanges, gives a fascinating vantage point on the first half of the 20th century, from life in 'society' to the rise of British facism, the abdication of Edward VIII and the Second World War.

The narrator reads clearly, with good pace and expression, and her voice is right for the book.

This book proved very enjoyable in every sense, far more so than I had expected.

An excellent bedtime audio book

A fascinating story of three sisters who led amazing lives in an important period in English history. Their friends included royalty, politicians of diverse and opposing views and representatives of the arts.This story provides an insight into the main characters who held influence and helped to shape the course of history. The selfishness of some of the characters is truly amazing, especially the Windsors and suspect that many people in England realised that Wallis Simpson in many ways did our country a favour because I fear that as a king her husband would have been a disaster.

A thoroughly good read

An insight into life before and after World War One and two. Breathing life into all those great names.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

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Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Robyn

16-04-13

fascinating from start to finish

The biographies of the three Curzon sisters and the social history of their times make for fascinating reading. The Curzon family and their set led fascinating lives, although they were not always admirable or even likeable. The cast of peripheral characters is varied and spectacular: Oswald Mosley, Hitler, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Nancy Astor, and many others - the rich and famous and influential of the era. A lot of research has gone into this book, and quotes from letters and other documents allow some insight into the motivations, emotions and reactions of the central characters. It is all beautifully recounted, and I was always reluctant to switch off the book and keen to get back to it. The narrator is excellent - importantly she correctly pronounces the foreign words and names. If you enjoy biography, social history, or gossip about the rich and famous, you should enjoy this well-written and well-read book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

3 out of 5 stars

Knitting Nerd

22-10-10

Less interesting than it should be

The Curzon sisters lived in very interesting times and moved in very interesting circles; however this book is far less interesting than it should be. We are told that their father was a truly great man, yet from this book it is hard to know what that reputation was based on.

The most interesting section involves Cimmie, her infatuation for the revolting Oswald Moseley, her loss of him to Diana Mitford and her tragic death.

Irene comes across as a failure - an alcoholic who never found true love. Her life was far more than that, yet we only see her in this dimension.

Essentially, this is where I was disappointed with this book. The private lives of people who achieve much in the public sphere may be less than perfect, but without a good treatment of their achievements, you cannot understand the full person and they become far less interesting.